#30DaysofYouth - Trevor Noah

#30DaysofYouth - Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah continues to fly the South African flag high in America and we could not be more proud of him.

If you know and love Noah the way we do, it's not news that he was born and bred in Soweto, to a Xhosa mother and a German-Swiss father in 1984. According to the apartheid laws at the time, his parents' relationship was illegal -- which, of course, is where the title for his best-selling autobiography Born a Crime: Stories from a South African childhood comes from. In the book, which was published in November 2016, Noah recounts stories of his childhood that reveal the poverty into which he was born.

After launching his career with a cameo role on local soap opera "Isidingo" on SABC in 2002, Noah joined radio station YFM two years later with his "Noah's Ark" show in 2004. His gradual emergence on the South African entertainment scene saw Noah host SABC 1's celebrity gossip show, "The Real Goboza" in 2007 as well as sports show, "Siyadlala".

But it was his 2009 debut one-man show, "The Daywalker", that really catapulted the comedian into the spotlight. He was the man of the moment -- going on to host the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) in the same year and the South African Music Awards (SAMAs) in 2010. He'd laid solid foundations at home and had set the scene for his next step -- taking on an international stage.

Moving abroad
Before being called up as host of "The Daily Show", Noah was the first South African stand-up comedian to appear on "The Tonight Show" (then still hosted by Jay Leno) in 2012.

He followed that with an appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman" in 2013, again the first South African to grace the Letterman stage. In the clip, Noah joked about his first visit to New York City -- little knowing that in just two years he would call the city home.

n March 2015, Noah was appointed host of "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah", taking over the reins from Jon Stewart who had hosted the show for 16 years. They were big shoes to fill, but Noah took up the challenge and excelled. By March 2017, according to Comedy Central, the show had its most-watched and highest-rated quarter ever among total viewers during the first quarter of 2017. "The Daily Show" continues to dominate among the channel's core key millennial audience, overtaking all daily late night talk shows and becoming the number one late night talk show among adults between 18 and 24 years.

The awards

On 7 May 2017, Noah took home the Golden Popcorn Award for Best Host at the annual MTV Movie and TV Awards.

He was nominated alongside TV hosting heavyweights: Ellen DeGeneres of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show"; John Oliver of "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver"; RuPaul from the show "RuPaul's Drag Race"; and Samantha Bee of "Full Frontal with Samantha Bee".

In his acceptance speech, Noah paid tribute to his mother, saying she was the only person he's ever aspired to be. He also thanked the team behind "The Daily Show" as well as President Donald Trump for supplying him with material.

This recent award comes after he bagged two others at the 48th annual NAACP Image Awards for his book. He took home awards in the Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author and Outstanding Literary Work - Biography/ Autobiography categories.

No stopping Noah

With his stand-up comedy special "Afraid of the Dark" now on Netflix and the news that he will be returning to South Africa for a two-night tour in August 2017, it seems there is nothing that can derail Noah's train of success. Having taken to the Hollywood scene with ease, Noah was named as one of Time Magazine's Next Generation Leaders on 3 May 2017.